waterdamagequotesThe fix · for Kitec and Poly-B
Kitec and Poly-B plumbing replacement: what repiping a house costs, and what the codes actually require
Repiping means taking out a house’s water supply lines and putting in new ones. In Canada the reason is usually one of two plastic systems from the same era: Kitec, sold under a list of brand names and the subject of a class-action settlement, and polybutylene — Poly-B — installed for more than two decades before manufacturers stopped making it in 1998. Both are on this site already as causes of water damage. This page is about the fix: what it costs, what drives the price, what the codes actually say, and why the lowest quote can leave the walls open.
The pages on Kitec and Poly-B cover how to identify each and how they fail. Lead and galvanized service pipes, the third reason, are on the lead water service page.
The short version
- Three companies publish their figures: $8,000 to $15,000 for Poly-B in a Calgary house, $5,000 to $25,000+ for Kitec in Toronto, $4,000 – $15,000+ for a full repipe in BC.
- The pipe is a small share: one BC company prices PEX at $0.50 to $2 a foot. Labour, access and wall repair are the rest.
- Poly-B in an existing house is not a code violation — Alberta says codes are not retroactive — but it is no longer an accepted material for new work.
- The Kitec settlement’s claims deadline was January 9, 2020; finding Kitec today means paying for the fix yourself.
What the quote calls each part
| What you would say | What the quote calls it | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| The orange and blue pipes | Kitec (PEX-AL-PEX and related) | Recalled system; settlement claims closed. |
| The grey pipe | Poly-B (polybutylene) | Not accepted for new work; existing installs not retroactively illegal. |
| The new plastic | PEX | The usual replacement; pipe itself is inexpensive. |
| The new copper | Type L / M copper | Costs more per foot; some owners prefer it. |
| Replacing it all | Whole-house repipe | Every supply line to every fixture. |
| Just the visible bits | Partial repipe / fitting replacement | Cheaper; leaves the rest of the system in place. |
| Opening the walls | Access / drywall patching and restoration | Often a separate line, or excluded. |
| The paperwork | Plumbing permit | Ask whether one is needed and who pulls it. |
Why houses get repiped
Kitec Settlement, Frequently Asked Questions · 2011
The settlement's own list of the names the system was sold under, covering PEX-AL-PEX, PE-AL-PE, PERT-AL-PERT and PEX pipe, valves, fittings and components. A homeowner told “you don't have Kitec, you have PlumbBetter” has been told nothing.
Kitec Settlement, Frequently Asked Questions · 2011
The same answer continues: “The first sign of failure for the pipe is a blackening of the pipe and/or a bulging of the pipe. Typically problems occur first near the hot water tank.” Which tells a homeowner exactly where to look first, with a flashlight, for free.
Kitec’s failure mode is in the fittings first and the pipe second, and the settlement tells you where to look: near the hot water tank, for white residue on brass fittings and for blackened or bulging pipe. Poly-B is a different product with a different history.
Insurance Bureau of Canada, Know your home’s history · 2025
Published June 25, 2025. IBC describes Poly-B as plastic piping used for plumbing during the suburban expansion — cost-effective, flexible and lightweight — and says the breakage and risk of failure can lead to water leaks and damage. Its advice: have a professional inspect the system, which may require replacing.
Alberta Municipal Affairs, Fact Sheet: Polybutylene (Poly-B) Pressure Water Piping · 2012
The full sentence: Poly-B installed in Alberta primarily used copper or brass metal insert fittings and soft copper crimping rings — not the plastic fittings reported to fail more. The fitting, not only the pipe, is what to look at. The 2002 version of the same fact sheet said Alberta Municipal Affairs was aware of about four Poly-B failures in Alberta in 20 years, all related to improper installation rather than the material.
Alberta’s fact sheet points at the same distinction for Poly-B: the fittings matter. Systems with metal insert fittings and copper crimp rings are not the ones reported to fail more; plastic fittings are. An inspection that tells you which you have is worth having before anyone quotes the whole house.
What it costs, where companies publish it
No public body publishes a repiping price, and this site does not invent an average. Three companies publish their own figures, from three provinces, reproduced here as theirs.
| Company | Published figure | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| ER Plumbing & Heating (Calgary, 2026) | $8,000 to $15,000 | Poly-B replacement, standard single-family home |
| ER Plumbing & Heating | $800 – $1,500 per bathroom | Added to the above |
| ER Plumbing & Heating | $500 – $2,000 | Drywall patching and restoration |
| Select Plumbing & Heating (Toronto, 2026) | $5,000 to $25,000+ | Kitec replacement, by home size, access and material |
| Whyte Mechanical (BC, 2025) | $4,000 – $15,000+ | Full repipe |
| Whyte Mechanical | PEX $0.50 – $2 / copper $2 – $8 per foot | Pipe material only |
ER Plumbing & Heating (Calgary), Poly B pipe replacement in Calgary · 2026
The company's range for a standard single-family home, published May 31, 2026. Its breakdown: pipe removal $1,000 to $3,000; new PEX piping and fittings $1,500 to $5,000; labour $2,500 to $8,000; drywall patching and restoration $500 to $2,000; and roughly $800 to $1,500 more for each bathroom. It advises asking whether each quote includes restoration. One company's own figures.
Select Plumbing & Heating (Toronto), Kitec plumbing in Toronto · 2026
The company's range for replacing Kitec in Toronto, depending on home size, pipe access and material (PEX or copper). Page dated July 27, 2026. The same page asserts that sellers are legally obligated to disclose Kitec; this site has not found an Ontario primary source for that and does not repeat it.
Whyte Mechanical (BC), Cost to replace Poly B plumbing · 2025
The company's figure for a full repipe in BC, page dated June 18, 2025. It prices the pipe itself per foot: PEX $0.50 to $2, CPVC $0.50 to $1, copper $2 to $8 — which is why material is a small share of a job that is mostly labour, access and wall repair.
What drives the price
Put the Calgary breakdown and the BC per-foot prices side by side and the shape of the bill is clear. The new pipe is a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars. The rest is taking the old system out, the hours to run new lines through finished walls and ceilings, and putting the walls back.
- Bathrooms and fixtures. The Calgary company adds $800 to $1,500 for each bathroom; every fixture is another run.
- Finished or unfinished basement. An open ceiling is where the main lines run; a finished one has to be opened.
- Condo or house. In a condo, which pipes are the unit’s and which are the corporation’s is a question for the board and the declaration before anyone quotes; the condo rules page covers who pays when they leak.
- Restoration in or out. The Calgary company’s own advice is to check whether each quote includes restoration, because a lower quote may be leaving the drywall to you.
- PEX or copper. Material price differs by foot; the labour differs less.
What the codes say, and what they do not
Alberta Municipal Affairs, Fact Sheet: Polybutylene (Poly-B) Pressure Water Piping · 2012
The fact sheet adds that codes are not retroactive, so a previously acceptable product that is no longer listed remains acceptable if it does not pose a health or safety hazard. Poly-B in an existing house is not a code violation. Under the 1995 National Plumbing Code it was acceptable for potable water but not for continuous circulating hot water lines.
This is the line most often blurred in marketing. Poly-B is no longer listed as an acceptable material in the National Plumbing Code for new installation. But, as Alberta’s fact sheet puts it, codes are not retroactive: a system that was acceptable when it went in stays acceptable unless it poses a health or safety hazard. Nobody is required by the code to rip out working Poly-B. Whether to replace it is a risk and insurance decision, not a legal one.
Kitec Settlement, Frequently Asked Questions · 2011
Eight years from the effective date of the settlement. The settlement's home page now states that the claims deadline has passed and the case is in the administration stage, and that as of July 9, 2025 settlement payments have been issued and the stale date has passed. Anyone finding Kitec in their house today is outside the claims process entirely.
The Kitec settlement is the other piece of history people still search for. Its claims deadline passed in January 2020 and the settlement has paid out. Kitec found in a house today is the owner’s to deal with.
Insurance, sale and disclosure
Insurance Bureau of Canada, Know your home’s history · 2025
Published June 25, 2025. IBC's advice is to contact your insurance representative. Poly-B is polybutylene, a different product from a different era — the same IBC page says nothing about Kitec, and that absence is reported here rather than papered over.
Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission, About KITEC Plumbing · 2025
The most specific statement a Canadian regulator makes about Kitec and insurance, and it is deliberately unspecific. No insurance regulator, and not the Insurance Bureau of Canada, publishes a position on Kitec. This site will not fill that gap with an insurer's marketing page.
Neither industry body publishes more than that. IBC says some insurers may have Poly-B exclusions and to ask your representative; the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission says Kitec may have insurance and financing implications. Ask your broker before you buy a house with either, and again before you decide whether to repipe.
Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission, About KITEC Plumbing · 2025
The Commission adds that if a potential buyer asks about the existence of Kitec in the home, it must be disclosed. This is Nova Scotia's rule about a Nova Scotia form; disclosure obligations are provincial and this site does not extend it to any other province.
Disclosure rules are provincial, and only Nova Scotia’s regulator has published one on Kitec that this site could find. Some company pages state that sellers are legally obligated to disclose Kitec; we have not found an Ontario primary source for that, and do not repeat it. If you are buying, ask the question in writing — Nova Scotia’s rule is that a direct question must be answered.
Why this site has nothing to gain from your answer. We are paid a fixed amount for each enquiry, agreed before it is sent. It does not move with the size of the job, with whether you book anything, or with which company you pick. So there is no version of this page where steering you is worth anything to us — which is also why you will not find a company named, rated or recommended anywhere on this site.
Questions people actually ask
How much does it cost to replace Kitec plumbing?
No public body publishes a price. Select Plumbing & Heating in Toronto publishes $5,000 to $25,000+ depending on home size, pipe access and whether PEX or copper is used.
How much does Poly-B replacement cost?
ER Plumbing & Heating in Calgary publishes $8,000 to $15,000 for a standard single-family home, plus roughly $800 to $1,500 per bathroom; Whyte Mechanical in BC publishes $4,000 to $15,000+ for a full repipe.
Is Poly-B illegal in Canada?
No. Alberta's fact sheet says Poly-B is no longer listed as acceptable in the National Plumbing Code, but codes are not retroactive, so an existing system that was acceptable when installed remains acceptable unless it poses a health or safety hazard.
Can I still claim from the Kitec settlement?
No. The settlement's claims filing deadline was January 9, 2020, and its site says settlement payments have been issued.
Is PEX or copper better for repiping?
This site does not rate them. On one BC company's published prices, PEX costs $0.50 to $2 per foot and copper $2 to $8, and most of a repipe's cost is labour and wall repair rather than pipe.
Does home insurance cover Poly-B or Kitec?
IBC says some insurers may have exclusions regarding Poly-B and to contact your insurance representative; the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission says Kitec may have insurance and financing implications.
Where to read next
- Kitec: how to tell, and the recall
- Poly-B: how to tell, and why it fails
- Lead and galvanized service pipes
- Supply-line leaks at appliances
- Twelve water situations compared
Sources cited on this page
- Alberta Municipal Affairs, Fact Sheet: Polybutylene (Poly-B) Pressure Water Piping
- Kitec Settlement, Frequently Asked Questions
- Insurance Bureau of Canada, Know your home’s history
- ER Plumbing & Heating (Calgary), Poly B pipe replacement in Calgary
- Select Plumbing & Heating (Toronto), Kitec plumbing in Toronto
- Whyte Mechanical (BC), Cost to replace Poly B plumbing
- Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission, About KITEC Plumbing
Every figure above was read from the source it is attributed to on September 20, 2026. How we check this.
Repiping quotes
Three taps, then your details. Free to you, and never sent to more than three companies.
Your request is ready to send
Here is what happens after you submit:
- Your answers go only to restoration and plumbing companies that take enquiries for your area, when one is.
- No more than three may contact you, using the details you gave. If none is taking enquiries, nobody contacts you, and you can ask us to delete what you sent.
- You decide who, if anyone, you use. You are committed to nothing.
We are not a restoration company, we do not carry out work, and nothing sent through this form starts, alters or supports an insurance claim.